Code: Zero
by Cyber Angel Rowan
Summary: A boy enrols in Kadic and enters the supercomputer. His actions spark the beginning of the Lyoko Warrior's newest adventure, one that will test the bonds between them all as the true meaning of virus is revealed. OC-centric, Minor YxU and JxA, main pairings ZeroxIris and CielxColonel. Yes, you read correctly, CIELxCOLONEL. Rated T for violence and swearing in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

A solitary boy walked through the wind and rain, hands in his pockets to conserve warmth. He was wearing a red jacket with the hood up, blackwash jeans, and black sneakers. An olive green backpack was on his shoulders. His eyes were deep blue and his long hair was blonde, tucked into his jacket to keep both water and insults away. Presently he stopped outside the gates of Kadic Academy. He took his hands out of his pockets and looked at them. A red substance that looked like a moving fungus made of energy writhed and coiled on his bare skin. He slipped on two hard-wearing gloves, successfully covering the substance. _Maybe here I can finally find a cure for this curse._

**TWANSITION!**

It was another boring day at Kadic Academy. Jeremy and Aelita were walking PDA's, Ulrich and Yumi were holding hands, smiling at each other and trying not to blush when the others were around, and Odd was totally failing to pick up the ladies, as usual. But enough about their love lives. That morning at breakfast, Ulrich had some big news. "Did you guys hear about the theft last night?" A round of head-shakes. "Someone tried to rob a governmental medical facility. Apparently the thief took some experimental medicines that supposedly could cure any known infection or disease. 'The latest in a series of bizarre medical thefts', to use the newscaster's expression." Yumi looked concerned. "Do they know what the thief looks like?" "No, but here's the weird thing. There were reports of a strange red substance scattered around the place, and when someone touched it they went berserk." Odd had managed to remain relatively silent up until this point, but now he spoke. "Sounds like the Zero Virus." The others looked at him, surprised that he would have anything to contribute. Aelita frowned. "Zero Virus? What's that?" Odd was eager to explain. "In one of the Megaman X games, one of the main characters, called Zero, is boosted whenever he goes near something called the Sigma Virus. Eventually it mutates into a new form, named after Zero himself." Jeremy blinked. "So you think that's what this is?" A shrug from the purple wearing boy. "Could be. I mean it could also be a really demented old man with a hook for a hand or-" "Shut up Odd."

**TWANSTION!**

**? POV**

I walk down the hall in search of my dorm, mumbling "104..." over and over again. Oh, for those of you who came in late, which would be...most of you, the name's Zero. Yeah, go ahead, laugh. What were my parents thinking? Plus I have this long blonde hair to deal with. Fortunately, I'm one of the few people in this world who can look tough with a blonde ponytail. And on top of all that, I have the world's most incurable disease - The Maverick Virus. It makes people and machines go berserk, but for some reason it makes me stronger. I can control almost anyone and anything with it, but it scares me, and I want it gone. I've been stealing medicines from the top medical facilities around the world for the last few years, but nothing works. During my last crime, however, I did find some notes about a supercomputer in France that has both a means to transfer things to a virtual world, and possesses a program that can wipe out any virus that comes on it's system. The co-ordinates of the supercomputer are close to a school, so I thought I'd work some Maverick magic on the principal and enrol myself. But I'm so focused on finding my dorm that I bump into someone. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" _Skimpy top, brown pants, high heels, _I think. _Must be a Diva._ Diva Girl doesn't stop there. "Who do you think you are, running into _me!_" I raise an eyebrow. "The question here, Diva Girl, is who do _you_ think _you_ are, not watching where _you're_ going!" "How dare you speak to me that way!" _Eesh. You sound like my mother._ "I am the principal's daughter!" "Ri~ght. Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a dorm to find. Later." I step to the side as Diva Girl stalks off, and _accidentally_ trip her at the last moment, causing laughs somewhere ahead of me. Ignoring the Diva's outburst, I spot two teenagers leaning against the wall. One has brown hair and eyes and is wearing a green shirt and a dark green jacket, with pants of the same colour. The girl next to him is in skintight all-black clothing, with black shoulder length hair framing a grinning face. The boy chuckles. "Nice. Did you see her face when you tripped her?" I nod and grin. "Yeah. Hilarious. Who was that stuck up Diva Girl anyway?" The girl in black answers. "Sissi Delmas, the principal's daughter. What's your name? I don't think we've seen you around before." "Zero." Green Boy raises an eyebrow. "Seriously?" "Yeah. Blame my parents. Your names?" "Yumi." "Ulrich." "Cool. So, Yumi, you're Japanese, right?" Yumi throws her hands up. "Finally, someone gets it right the first time!" Ulrich chuckles. "I'm guessing you're looking for your dorm, right?" "Yeah, room 104. you know where that is?" "Follow us."

**TWANSITION!**

After Yumi and Ulrich helped me settle in, I headed down to lunch with the two of them. They sat at a table with the weirdest collection of people I'd ever seen. A girl with pink hair, a blonde boy with a purple spot in the middle of a massive spike of hair, and a blonde bespectacled boy who looks every bit the nerd. I stood there looking a little lost for a moment, before moving toward my new friends. "Hey, can I sit here?" Ulrich nodded. "Sure, join the party." As I take my seat next to the Pink Haired Wonder, Nerd Boy asks my name. "Zero. And if you laugh I'm gonna murder your face. Yours?" "J-Jeremy." Pink Girl smiles at me. "I'm Aelita." She hikes a thumb to Spiky, who is currently stuffing his face. "His name's Odd." Odd stops eating and looks at me sympathetically. "Parents gave you a stupid name too?" "Yep." "I feel for you, man. Weirdly named people, unite!" We automatically bump fists, and laugh. I look into my soup, then realise something. "Wait. Aelita?" The pinkette nods cautiously. I frown in thought. "Where have I heard that name before?" My mind flashes back to the notes I stole from the French research centre and I mutter unintelligibly under my breath. Jeremy looks nervous. "If you can't remember it, it can't be that important, right?" I shrug. "I guess..." Ulrich turns to me. "So, what classes do you have?" I list my classes and it turns out everyone is in at least one of them. I know they know something, and I intend to find out what.

**TWANSITION!**

After school I head for an old factory I saw on my way in. According to my intel, the supercomputer is in there. I head through the boiler room and cross to the main entrance of the factory. I traverse a walkway overlooking the empty complex and notice an elevator below. Red virus energy pools in my hands and I leap off the walkway, shooting the energy at the railing to slow my fall. I land safely, gather up the virus and shoot it at the elevator doors, which open like magic. Arms still outstretched to hold the virus in place, I step into the elevator and descend to the scanners, making sure to remove all traces of the virus before exiting the elevator. I enter a scanner and an automated voice speaks as I rise and am scanned into the supercomputer. "New DNA signature detected ... Scanning...Preparing Lyoko avatar...Virtualisation." A bright flash of white light, and I am gone.

**TWANSITION!**

**Regular POV**

In Jeremie's dorm, the blonde felt his phone buzz and flipped it open. "Something's gone wrong on Lyoko!" He quickly texted everyone else and headed for the factory. Two minutes after he'd arrived, the rest of the Lyoko Warriors rode the elevator down. Jeremie was very pale. "Get to the scanners guys. We have a big problem." Yumi, Odd, Aelita and Ulrich entered the scanners. "Transfer Yumi. Transfer Aelita. Transfer Ulrich. Transfer Odd. Scanner." Four flashes of light and they were gone.

**TWANSITION!**

**Zero's POV, a few minutes earlier**

I've only been on Lyoko five minutes and I'm already disappointed. The multi-agent program can't get rid of the Maverick Virus. In fact, it seemed to _accept _it. On the plus side, my avatar's pretty cool. A removable brown cloak covering red armour just like that of my namesake, but slightly darker. A bright red Z-Buster is holstered on my back, and two green Z-Saber-like hilts are on either of my hips. On top of that, I quickly discover I can use the Shield Boomerang and Chain Rod as well. All in all, not bad and not too different from the old days. I'm currently trekking through a forest area and testing my weapons. Z-Saber in hand, I run at the nearest tree and _swing_. The black energy blade slices right through the virtual wood like a hot knife through butter. I grin. "That was awesome!" I holster the Z-Saber and draw the second weapon at my hip. It promptly expands into a three-metre-long pole, tipped with a black Z-Saber blade: The Triple Rod. I swing it around a couple of times and use it to vault over the tree I just felled. I put the Rod away and start experimenting with the Chain and Shield. After about a minute, I switch to my Buster Shot Gun and play around with that. Presently I come to a huge tower jutting out of the ground. I place a hand against the side and melt straight through it. I stumble at first, but regain my composure and walk to the centre of the platform. Suddenly I'm pulled up to an identical platform and a screen forms out of the air, complete with text:

_EXTENSION PROGRAM DETECTED._

_ACCEPT?_

_YES NO_

I'm not too sure what to do so I turn away, but my dratted blonde hair swings around with me and hits Yes. I turn back and try to stop it, but it's too late. I leap off the platform and run outside the tower to see what the damage is. Fortunately, nothing appears to have changed. Well, apart from the fact I am surrounded by a samurai with two katanas, a geisha holding two fans, a cat-boy and a pink haired elf. _Uh-oh. The notes didn't say anything about this; They must be security programs or something._ I jump straight over their heads and hit the ground running. The samurai yells something and is in front of me inside of a second. He leaps forward and I block his attack with my Z-Saber. _I could really use an EX Skill right about now...like the Hienkyaku or-_ I blink and I'm speeding towards the samurai. With no time to think, I do the only thing that comes naturally: swing my sword. The samurai speeds out of the way and the cat boy jumps in front of me. "Laser Arrow!" But now that I know I can use my techniques here, I know what to do. "Tenkuuha!" The Z-Saber turns purple and reflects the arrows right back at him. I use Hienkyaku again and speed away. The samurai catches up to me in a flash of yellow and runs alongside me. I look at him. "Geez, you're persistent, aren't ya?" A look of surprise crosses his face "Zero?" "Ulrich?" We stop dead. I chuckle sheepishly. "Well...this is awkward." The geisha, who I realise is most likely Yumi, comes up behind us. "Ulrich? Is that Zero? What's he doing here?" I sigh. "Let's get back to the real world and I'll explain."

Once Jeremy materialised us, we gathered around the supercomputer. Ulrich glared at me. "Okay Zero, explanation time." I sighed. "Alright. Here's the deal. When I was little I got infected by a virus known as the Maverick Virus." Odd frowned. "Is that like the Maverick virus in Megaman X?" "The X version was actually played down; the real thing is much more destructive. No one knows where it came from, and few know about it at all, but it's responsible for most of the crime around the world, and it makes people go berserk with rage. But for some reason, it had positive effects on me. Right from the first infection I felt stronger, faster, smarter, more agile, superior to others in every way. But the fact that what was boosting me up was the same thing that was bringing the world to it's knees scared me. So I started hunting down others who had the virus, and taking it from them. After a while, I was able to produce red virus energy from my hands and use it offensively and defensively. Eventually I found a pure form of the virus in storage pods, ready to unleash on the world. I managed to absorb all but the largest of these before they were airlifted, and looking back I guess it's a good thing I did, because after that the energy started forming on my exposed skin. Observe." I took off my gloves and watched the red energy well up, giving them all a good look before covering my hands again. "If I had absorbed any more virus, I would've either died, or gone berserk myself." Jeremy nodded. "And that's when you started breaking into medical facilities the world over to try and find a cure." I nodded. "Yeah. The last one I hit was in France, and while I was there I found some very interesting notes about a supercomputer in an abandoned factory. I needed to avoid suspicion, so I enrolled myself in Kadic. When school was out I came down here and virtualised myself, hoping that the multi-agent program would be able to rid me of the virus. But it didn't work, and now the supercomputer has the Maverick Virus, and it's all my fault!" At this I punched the wall behind me, leaving a good sized dent in it. Muttering to myself, I spread red energy over the wall, and the dent disappears. Jeremy had a gleam in his eye. "So what can you do with the Maverick energy, exactly?" I shrugged. "Control any electronic device and any person I want to, and form solid shapes out of Maverick energy." Odd also had a gleam in his eye, but for a different reason. "The pranking and blackmail possibilities are endless! I gotta get me some of that stuff!" I raise an eyebrow, "Yeah, if you could host the virus without going berserk." Odd's face fell. Aelita stepped forward and looked me in the eye, speaking in a steely tone. "And what will this Virus do to Lyoko?" I didn't drop my gaze. "I haven't noticed any ill effects as of yet. Most likely it will form new monsters in Lyoko, but other than that, nothing." Aelita frowns, but backs off. Yumi asks the million dollar question. "So what do we do now?" Ulrich shrugged. "Simple. We do what we do best: kick virtual butt, advance our love lives and look good doing it." Everyone laughed. I thought a thought, dwelled on it, and voiced it. "I'll help you. I was the one who put the virus in Lyoko, and it's only fair that I bring it back out." Jeremy nodded. "Of course. We'd be glad to fight by you side." "And I yours. I only ask one thing in return." "Name it." "You don't tell anyone about what I did before I came here." "Deal."

**Well, that happened. What will the Lyoko Warriors do now that the supercomputer is infected? Will XANA return? And what's up with Zero's hair anyway? The answers to these questions and more on the next instalment of Code Zero!**

**Rowan out!**


	2. Chapter 2

'**Bout time I updated this stuff! Mostly pointless, just a Sissi prank and a character introduction, but there is a giant robot fight, as well as a small display of Zero's abilities!**

Zero woke up the next morning without a care in the world, aside from the usual. But he found the usual didn't bother him as much now that he had a purpose in life. As he headed down to breakfast, two little girls, one redhead and one who appeared to be African-American, ran around a corner and nearly bumped into him. "Whoa, there!" He grabbed them by their collars. "Where are you two going in such a rush?" The redhead sucked in several breaths. "Running *pant* from *pant* Sissi *pant*" Zero shoved them through the door to his dorm, closed it and leaned against it just as Sissi ran past, yelling "MILLY! TAMIYA! WHEN I CATCH YOU TWO I'M GOING TO FORCE FEED YOU YOUR OWN EQUIPMENT!" Zero blinked. _Wow. They must have done something pretty bad to get her that angry. I can actually _feel_ her anger, no thanks to this goddamn virus._ _Uh-oh, speak of the devil-_ The blonde grunted. The viral energy was almost visibly reacting to Sissi's rage. If the blonde was anything less than feather-in-a-minefield careful, Sissi would become a Maverick, and then everyone would be in trouble. A surprisingly large part of him was tempted to infect her, just to see what the results would be. Then Sissi stomped away and the temptation ceased. Zero knocked on the door. "Okay girls, the gorgon has left the proverbial building." He opened the door and left without another word.

**TWANSITION!**

Zero slid into his established seat with a frown. Yumi looked at him. "Something wrong Zero?" "Yeah. Sissi. She almost made me blow my cover while in pursuit of Milly and Tamiya." Suddenly, a devious look came over his face, which Odd immediately picked up on. "I've seen that look before. What're ya thinkin', Ponytail?" The long-haired blonde directed a death glare at the prankster. "First, don't call me Ponytail unless you want a shot of Maverick Virus." Odd shuddered. "Second," Zero continued, the devious look returning. "I was thinking we prank a certain brain-dead leech after school." The other boy's looks of deviousness would have made Sigma himself cower. Jeremy didn't smile, but even he couldn't quite keep his eagerness from lacing his voice. "What did you have in mind?" Zero grinned wider. "Here's my plan..."

**TWANSITION!**

Zero peeked around a corner, making sure everything was in position. Odd was standing in front of the door, fist poised to knock. Jeremy was piloting Kiwi Two, upgraded significantly thanks to a shot of Maverick Virus, the robot hidden just out of sight. And finally, hovering above the door was a bucket, held there by Zero himself. Odd looked back at him, he nodded. The prankster knocked on the door, then hid around the corner with Jeremy, making sure to aim a borrowed camera at the door in preparation for the main event. Sissi opened the door and Zero released his hold on the bucket, spilling half a litre of slime on Sissi's head. While the principal's daughter was distracted, Jeremy moved Kiwi Two into the room and hit a specific button on the remote. Sissi stumbled back inside and the door swung shut. Exactly five seconds later, she stumbled out again, looking like she'd stuck her finger in a light socket, then bleached the resulting spikes. Kiwi Two ran out the door, Zero reabsorbed the robot's Maverick Virus, Odd took the picture and the blondes ran for it. Zero bolted down the hall, Odd and Jeremie rushed for the staircase. The red wearing teen grinned. This was going straight to Milly and Tamiya for sure.

**TWANSITION!**

After school, the Lyoko Warriors headed down to the factory. Jeremy took his usual seat in front of the computer and looked over Lyoko while the others headed for the scanners. "There are some anomalies in the desert sector. You guys need to check it out." Zero looked at the speaker that relayed the nerd's voice. "Don't worry Einstein. Just send me in first so I can determine the virus levels." "Will do. Transfer Zero. Transfer Odd. Transfer Ulrich. Scanner. Virtualisation! Your turn girls. Transfer Aelita. Transfer Yumi. Scanner. Virtualisation!"

**TWANSITION!**

The second Zero landed on Lyoko, he buzzed up his cloak and set about checking the virus levels. When the girls dropped in, he reported his findings. "The virus seems to have resurrected XANA's monsters, and formed quite a few others as well." Aelita frowned. "What do these monsters look like?" Just then, a small yellow dome shuffled into view. Zero pointed to it. "Like that. A Mettool, by the look of it." The dome popped up, revealing two round eyes and a circular mouth. Ulrich raised an eyebrow. "And this little guy is dangerous...how?" Just then, the Mettool fired a yellow bullet from it's mouth, nearly hitting the samurai between the eyes. Zero took out his Z-Saber and casually stabbed the robot in the head. "That enough of an answer? There's probably more around, so keep an eye out. Projectiles will just bounce off their helmets, but Aelita's Energy Sphere might work." The team nodded. Jeremy's voice cut in. "Guys! Massive sandstorm headed your way!" No sooner had the nerd warned them than a massive tornado blew through. The Lyoko Warriors were blown away, but Zero managed to anchor himself with his Chain Rod. He slowly climbed down it, hand over hand, battling the wind all the while. He stabbed his Z-Saber into the hard ground and his feet managed to follow suit. No sooner had the boy's armoured boots touched the ground than the sandstorm dissipated, revealing an army of blue robots with one large, red eye in the middle of their heads. _Pantheons. Great._ As one, the frontmost Pantheons aimed their Buster cannons at him and prepared to fire. Well aware that he was about to rip off the beginning of MMZ2, He grabbed his cloak with his free hand and ripped it off dramatically, revealing his dark red armour and the bright green energy saber he held in his hand. "Let's go..." The Pantheons fired, but Zero wasn't there anymore, having leaped ridiculously high into the air. _Omigodomigodomigod- _ The Boomerang Shield sliced through the front line of Mechaniloids before the boy dropped with a cry of "Hyouretsuzan!" He landed in the thick of them, killing hundreds and freezing thousands. "Hienkyaku!" The boy dashed all around, cutting down enemies with every move. _**Ze...ro...**__ Huh?_ The boy sliced through the last enemy and looked around. "What was that?" _**Zero...please...help me...**_ The words seemed to be floating inside his head, emanating out from inside a large cave. The red-wearing boy dashed inside without a second thought, Saber lighting the way. Eventually, he came across a storage pod. Inside was a very familiar girl. Her eyes were hidden behind a visor, but Zero recognised her on sight. "Ciel!" A girl he'd come very close to infecting long ago, back when he was still learning to control the Maverick Virus. The stuff had hit her full in the face, but apart from some shock and a bruised behind, she hadn't been affected at all. The two became inseparable. She'd guided him through various medical facilities, hacking security cameras and even fending off one or two gaurds herself. Then, the night before Zero had busted into the French facility, Ciel had disappeared without a trace. He'd searched all over, but found nothing. He had torn the facility apart in his fury and despair, leaving anything irrelevant completely destroyed. He'd almost ripped a manilla folder right in half before he'd spotted the notes on the supercomputer. That had been what had led him to Kadic. And now here she was, asleep in a pod. He was amazed she hadn't been devirtualised yet. He quickly went over to the computer console and hacked the pod, opening it. The girl's eyes fluttered open and the visor slid up to her forehead, revealing the shade of said eyes to be a deep blue. "Ugh...what..." Zero stepped over and helped her out of the pod. "Are you okay, Ciel?" A nod from the girl. "Yes. What's going on? Where are we?" "I'll explain later. For now, we need to get out of-" He was cut off when the ground started rumbling. "Jeremy! What's going on?" "I think you triggered something! Brace yourself, it's a long drop!" The drop was indeed long, but fast. Zero barely had time to grab onto Ciel before he hit the ground, back-first. He grunted in pain, but that was all. "Okay Einstein. Tell me the truth. I can take it. I'm down to ten life points, aren't I?" "5, actually, but who's counting?" "Uh, you?" "Oh yeah." Ciel helped him up and looked him over worriedly. "Are you gonna be okay?" "I'll be fine. Now let's get outta here so our resident Einstein can get you back to the real world." Ciel nodded and they trekked down the hall. They came to a large room with a small opening leading to the sky. "Okay, just a few wall jumps up here and we'll be out." Ciel clutched his arm. "Golem." The massive robot loomed over them. Zero confidently summoned his saber - and his heart sank when only the Buster Shot Gun appeared in his hand. "Talk to me Einstein. What's going on?" "The fall devirtualised your weapons, and for some reason I can't materialise you two. I'm going to reprogram your saber, but it'll take time." "Go as fast as you can!" Was all Zero said, before promptly unleashing a fully charged, electric-element shot straight into the Golem's chest. The robot reeled back, but soon lurched forward again, bringing a fist down towards the two blondes. They dodged away and Zero fired twice. "Time Stopper! V Shot!" A blue projectile froze the hulking hunk of metal on impact, then two crackling yellow shots shorted out it's arms. "Time to go." Ciel threw her arms around Zero's shoulders and he wall-jumped up toward the light. The Golem followed them with boosters in it's feet. Zero leaped one last time and brought them back to the surface of the Desert. "Zero! Your saber's ready!" "Great!" Zero called it to his right hand, holstered the Buster Pistol with his left and leaped forward, stabbing the Golem in the chest and rupturing his power core. He jumped back as it blew up, leaving in it's place a panel with a Z emblazoned on it in striking red and orange. The moment Zero touched it, it shattered into pixels and swirled around him, changing his armour from red to yellow. Ciel's visor lowered automatically. She gave a start of surprise and looked at Zero. "Amazing. I'm getting all these cool specs on your armour. According to this you have acquired a new form called the Energy Form. This will allow you to draw power from monsters and shape it however you want. Plus, all your attacks will automatically have the Lightning element." "Sweet." Zero closed his eyes, feeling a new kind of power flow through him. "I'll have to test this out sometime. Until then, we need to get you outta here. Jeremy?" "Way ahead of you. Materialisation, Ciel." Five seconds later, Ciel faded to a wireframe and disappeared, followed swiftly by Zero a moment later.

**Next chapter, I'll showcase Ciel and Zero.**

**Rowan out!**


End file.
